Afo News Blog
AFO Ceilidh
An AFO ceilidh is always a great fundraising night, held in the Aviator suite at Prestwick airport and this year’s ceilidh was a fantastic success.
My Top 10 Tour Packing Essentials
Myself and a few other orchestra members have put our thinking caps on and we came up with our recommended tour packing essentials. I hope they are helpful.
My First Tour
I would like to share with you my experience going on my first tour to the east coast of America in 2011.
South Africa Tour Blog Welcome
Hi all, it’s Hannah Coombs here, the double bass leader of the orchestra and I would like to welcome you all to the very first AFO tour blog!
The Burns Violin
For a number of years, Wallace Galbraith has been the resident Fiddler at the Bachelors Club in Tarbolton where Scotland’s national poet, Robert Burns, attended, learning the arts of social intercourse including dancing. At that time, the dancing master was William Gregg who , as well as instructing his pupils in dance steps, would accompany on the fiddle. Burns, a capable fiddler himself, would have undoubtedly played on the Gregg Violin. The instrument was handed down through the generations but, as no members of the immediate family were interested in playing, the violin fell into disrepair and obscurity. In 1995, Wallace became aware of the violin’s existence at the farm near Mauchline of the then Chairman of the Bachelors Club, Major John Weir. He gave the instrument to Dr David Martin of Ayr, a retired lecturer at the Scottish Agricultural College at Auchincruive and talented violin restorer, who lovingly brought the violin back to its former glory. The Orchestra gave the violin to the National Trust for Scotland who now keep it in safe custody at Culzean Castle near Maybole. Wallace plays it at the Annual Burns Supper at the Bachelors Club every January and the National Trust has allowed the Orchestra to take it with them on some of their International...
South Africa 2015
In July 2015, the Orchestra will embark on its tour of South Africa, bringing Scottish music to the tip of Africa, and experiencing the excitement of southern African Music. Starting as guests of the Grahamstown International Festival of the Arts on 3 and 4 July, the 80-strong Orchestra will then travel down the Garden Route to George for their next performance. In Cape Town, the Orchestra are delighted to be guests of the Hout Bay Music Project for a day of workshopping leading to an exciting joint concert. On 9 July AFO will round off its trip to the Cape performing in concert with the Cape Town Youth Orchestra. In Johannesburg, concert highlights are a performance at the Linder Auditorium with the Johannesburg Youth Orchestra, and joining the service at Regina Mundi in Soweto. And when not performing and rehearsing, players will experience some of the many wonders of South Africa; highlight include Kariga game reserve, Robben Island, Table Mountain, the Cradle of Mankind and the Elephant Sanctuary. See the South Africa 2015 blog here...
South Africa 2015 blog
AFO players will post blog pages from their tour to South Africa – keep an eye on this space.
Europe 2013
A return to Europe, revisiting some venues from our last Tour in 1989 but with lots of new and exciting additions. 75 of the 120 members of the Ayrshire Fiddle Orchestra boarded two Dodds coaches with their fiddles, cellos, basses , guitars, accordions, whistles and drums on Sunday 30th June to head for a fantastic Concert Tour of Europe with the first stop in Strasbourg where they performed for the EU Parliament. Then they travelled onto Lichenfels in Bavaria – Prestwick’s Twin Town, Switzerland where they visited CERN and gave a performance of a specially composed tune to commemorate the discovery of the famous Higgs Boson Particle, Paris with a day in Ayr’s Twin Town St Germain-en-Laye, Disneyland and finishing in Brussels. “The Europe 2013 tour has been one of the best experiences of my life and I will remember it forever” says 12 year old orchestra member Matthew. You can see some of the exciting performances the orchestra gave whilst on tour on YouTube. Tour Itinerary Ayrshire Fiddle Orchestra Europe 2013 Depart Sunday 30 th June – Return Wednesday 17 th July (17 nights) Strasbourg Lichtenfels Zug / Lucerne Geneva Paris Brussels Date Activity / Arrangements Overnight Sunday 30 th June 8.30am Leave Prestwick for Hull (271 miles) 4pm – Arrive Hull 6.30pm – Ferry departs Hull Dinner on ferry FERRY Monday 1 St July Breakfast on ferry 8.45am – Arrive Zeebrugge 9.45am – Depart Zeebrugge for Strasbourg (342 miles) 6.30pm – Arrive and check in to Ciarus Hostel, Strasbourg Evening meal in hostel Rehearsal in conference room at hostel Free time in hostel STRASBOURG Tuesday 2...
USA 2011
In late June, the orchestra boarded flights taking us to New York, followed by journeys to Vandalia in Ohio (twinned with Ayrshire’s own Prestwick), Atlanta and Newnan in Georgia and finishing in St. Pete’s Beach on the Gulf of Mexico in Florida. We left from Scotland and arrived in Manhattan; New York City – where we enjoyed the sights and sounds including, United Nations, Grand Central Station Shopping at 5th Avenue, Macy’s etc. We had a wonderful Dinner at Dallas BBQ, had a beautiful Circle Line Boat Tour for Statue of Liberty etc. and did some sightseeing in Times Square, while also fitting in a visit to Rockafeller Centre, and an Open Top Bus Tour of New York sights. We then left New York and on two Coaches traveled to Vandalia Ohio. We were able to enjoy 4th July celebrations with hosts and have our first concert of the tour in Vandalia. The next day we had some fun at Paramount Kings Theme Park. Then we were back onto the Coaches from Vandalia to Newnan where we were greeted by our new Hosts. The Orchestra then took a visit into Atlanta to visit the Senate Building Atlanta, Coca Cola World, CNN Headquarters. We had a concert at Alpharetta High School before a Bus Transfer back to Newnan. AFO DAY!!!! We had two wonderful concerts in Newnan . The next day we had some free time with hosts and be able to attend Church with host families, before our Family Afternoon Concert after which we will spend some time at Fairground where we had a Farewell BBQ/Ceilidh. The next day...
China 2009
The Ayrshire Fiddle Orchestra was honoured with an invitation by the Chinese Ministry of Culture to give a major Concert Tour of China in July 2009. This unique series of Concerts, organised and promoted by Huihuang Entertainments, was the first time a Fiddle Orchestra from Scotland had performed in China. Some Chinese music, specially scored for the Orchestra, was included and the Halls echoed to the playing and singing in Scots and Chinese of Auld Lang Syne at the end of each performance. Arriving in Beijing on Tuesday 30th June, 70 members of the Orchestra performed in Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou, Huzhou, Hangzhou and Shenzhen before travelling to Hong Kong for the final part of the Tour. The Tour opened on the 2nd July with a Concert in the Beijing Concert Hall. Next was a morning performance on the 4th in the Shanghai Oriental Arts Centre and then on Sunday 5th in the Suzhou People’s Meeting Hall, followed on the next evening by a concert in the Huzhou Theatre. The magnificent auditorium of Hangzhou Grand Theatre was the venue on the 7th with the Chinese part of the Tour climaxing with a Concert in the dramatic surroundings of the 1,500 sell-out Shenzhen Concert Hall. The Orchestra then travelled to Hong Kong to conclude the tour. All the Concerts received wide and comprehensive publicity throughout China – posters, press, radio and TV – resulting in audiences of 1,200 to 1,500 at each venue. The visual spectacle of 70 young Scottish instrumentalists, each kilted with their own distinctive tartan, helped no end to develop the cultural exchanges between China and...
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